eep or wail, lest birth be given to a lament yet more intolerable.
But to Polynices, that well deserves his name, I say, soon shall we know
what issue his blazonry will have; whether letters wrought in gold,
vainly vaunting on his buckler, along with frenzy of soul will restore
him. If indeed Justice, the virgin daughter of Jove, attended on his
actions or his thoughts, perchance this might be. But neither when he
escape the darkness of the womb, nor in his infancy, nor ever in his
boyhood, nor in the gathering of the hair on his chin, did Justice look
on him, or deem him worthy her regards: nor truly do I suppose that she
will now take her stand near to him, in his ill-omened possession of his
father-land. Truly she would then in all reason be falsely called
Justice, were she to consort with a man all-daring in his soul. Trusting
in this I will go, and face him in person. Who else could do so with
better right? Leader against leader, brother against brother, foeman
with foeman, shall I take my stand. Bring me with all speed my greaves,
my spear, and my armor of defense against the stones.

[_Exit_ MESSENGER.

CH. Do not, O dearest of men, son of OEdipus, become in wrath like to
him against whom thou hast most bitterly spoken. Enough it is that
Cadmaeans come to the encounter with Argives. For such bloodshed admits
of expiation. But the death of own brothers thus mutually wrought by
their own hands--of this pollution there is no decay.

ET. If any one receives evil without disgrace, be it so; for the only
advantage is among the dead: but of evil and disgraceful things, thou
canst not tell me honor.

CH. Why art thou eager, my son? let not Ate, full of wrath, raging with
the spear, hurry thee away--but banish the first impulse of [evil]
passion.

ET. Since the deity with all power urges on the matter, let the whole
race of Laius, abhorred by Phoebus, having received for its portion
the wave of Cocytus, drift down with the wind.

CH. So fierce a biting lust for unlawful blood hurries thee on to
perpetrate the shedding of a man's blood, of which the fruit is
bitter.[151]

ET. Ay, for the hateful curse of my dear father, consummated, sits hard
beside me with dry tearless eyes, telling me that profit comes before my
after doom.[152]

CH. But do not accelerate it; thou wilt not be called dastardly if thou
honorably preservest thy life--and Erinnys,[153] with her murky
tempest, enters not the dwelling where the god